Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Remove Blood Stain Using Salt / Protein / Ammonia

There are hundred or thousand types of clothing stains. More than 90% clothes stains are removed easily using normal products at home like bleach, detergent, Vaseline and vinegar. Some stains are considered special because of lake of awareness about their removal process.

Actually a stain is a chemical reaction between fabric and staining agent. Not a single method can remove all the stains also not all stains looks like same on clothes. It is important to know how the stain appears on the cloth i.e. is it blood stain, oil stain, fruit stain or any other type of stain.
In this series of post we will cover almost all stains which are considered difficult to remove from clothes. In this post we are going to provide three easy tips to remove/ avoid the blood stains.

Remove Blood Stain using Salt:
Using cold water moisten the cloth
Now take salt in suitable quantity and rub on cloth
Fold the stained are of cloth on itself and rub the fabric on together
Rub for a few minutes and rinse with the water.
Wash it once with the normal detergent and enjoy neat and clean clothes.
Remove Blood Stain using Protein:
Take ½ cup of protein stain remover and add ½ cup of cold water in it and mix well.
Apply this mixture on blood stains and leave for 15 minutes.
Flush with cold water and enjoy the clean clothes.
Remove Blood Stain using Ammonia:
If you are facing difficulty in removing the blood stain from clothing and blood stains are too dark or in major quantity then use this most effective way of removing blood stain which require bleach with hydrogen peroxide (3%) and ammonia.
Take bleach and apply with medicine dropper.
Add a drop of ammonia in it.
Lightly rub the cloth and if possible use gloves.
Flush with water
All above tips are very effective to remove blood stain from clothes, it is recommended to use natural tip first.

Extracting Maximum Fruit Juice...

When it is time to extract juice from lemon, orange and other fruits of same category? Don’t you want to extract till last drop. In this post we are going to discuss a tip which is very useful to extract maximum juice from fruits.

Ingredients:
Fruit: Lemon, Orange or other fruit
Water: It should be enough to dip the fruits

Process:
You have to take hot water in a pot in which fruits can be dipped easily.
Remember water should not be too hot.
Leave the fruits for three to five minutes in hot water.
Now cut fruits in two halves and extract the juice.
Using this way it is very easy to extract juice till last drop.
Enjoy Fresh Juice….!.

Remove Foam or Bubbles from Oil while Frying

It is very common to fry chicken pieces, French fries or other stuff like Eastern dish Pakora (gram flour paste mixed with onion and greens) and Samosa(Another Eastern Dish) in oil. Most of the times oil starts producing white foam/ bubbles which change the colour and beauty of food stuff.

Food colour has a significant impact on human desirability and used for best food judgment. Following is an easy tip which can remove foam/ bubbles from oil.

Ingredients:

Flour: 2-3 table spoon
Water: As needed

How to Perform:
When you feel oil has started producing bubbles, remove the food stuff from it.
Mix water and flour to prepare a flour ball.
Increase stove flame and put that flour ball in it.
After 30 second s, reduce flame to normal and start frying food stuff.
By frying this way you can avoid bubbles in oil and that will preserve the food colour too.

Preserve Rice Taste and Vitamins...

Rice is a good source of vitamin but we normally waste many while cooking the rice. People don’t want that intentionally but it is happening due to lack of knowledge.

It is very common to wash rice many times to remove all the dust and other extra junk particles from rice.

No problem washe rice as many times you want. When you feel confident and think rice are clean and ready to cook.

Now it is the time to leave rice in some water for a period of time. Stop here, the only secret is here.

Don’t put excessive water because now you don’t have to waste water. Water in which you are going to leave rice for certain period is not for sink. You have to cook rice in the same water.

By cooking rice in the same water is a great source to preserve the rice taste and vitamins. I think it is very easy tip and you have to be a little bit care full, no rocket science here.

Enjoy healthy and tasty food.

Avoid Wasting Milk While Boiling

Is there anyone who never wasted milk while boiling? It is very normal scenario to put kettle on stove and go for some other work like dish washing or calling your friends. Wasting milk is not the only problem in this scenario but cleaning the stove and other effected area of kitchen is more painful.

So how this situation can be avoided, how can we save milk? Here is a simple tip to avoid this scenario

Ingredients:
Butter: Enough to coat at kettle corner


Process:

Take butter in suitable quantity.
Using your finger, apply single coat of butter on the round corner of kettle or pot.
Width of coat should not be more than ½ Inch.

Always Boil milk after applying butter on the round corner of your kettle to save the milk and also this will be very helpful to keep your kitchen and stove neat and clean.

How to Preserve Taste and State of Apple

Who can deny the importance of apple? It is very famous saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. There are many health benefits of apple. Here we are going to concentrate the way to keep apple fresh after cutting it in pieces or peeling it off. In both cases apple normally softens in couple of hours. So how can we preserve the state and taste of apple?

Ingredients:
Salt: 1 table spoon/ Cup
Water: It should be enough to dip the pieces of apple

Process:
Add salt in water and mix to dissolve.
After peeling off the apple cut it in small pieces.
Now put all pieces in water and store it in fridge.
When required, wash pieces of apple with fresh water and use.

By storing apple in the above mentioned way will preserve the state and taste of the apple.

How to remove smell from Ghee (Clarified Butter/ Drawn Butter)

Some times storing ghee in a pot for long time results smelling in it. It is difficult to use that type of ghee for cooking. So how can we remove that smell from ghee?

Ingredients:

Unflavoured Yogurt: 50 gram for 1000 gram Ghee

Process:

Suppose you have 5 kg of Ghee, as per ratio of 50 gram per kg you have to take 50X5=250 gram normal yogurt.

Now add that 250 gram yogurt in ghee and put it in a suitable cauldron.

Now cook that cauldron on stove until mixture start burning.

At that point put that cauldron down from stove and leave for a few hours.

Now you would feel all smell from ghee is removed.

Best Tip to Remove Smell from Fridge or Refrigerator

Some times rotten food and non usage of fridge may create smell in fridge. It is very difficult to remove that smell even after washing it completely.

Below is a useful tip to remove the smell from fridge or refrigerator.

Ingredients:
Coal: few small pieces

Process:
If your fridge smells then take a small peace of coal and grind or crush it like powder. Now put all powder in a plate and place it inside the fridge. In couple of days repeat the process.
In a few tries all smell from the fridge or refrigerator would vanish.

Avoid Onions Burning While Frying

No one likes burned onions; it changes the taste of food. So how can we make sure that onions not burned?


Ingredients:

Milk: In little Quantity

Process:

Add little milk to onions in the fry pan at the time of frying. Enjoy the good colour of onions and milk prevents onions to be burned.

Avoid Rice to Stick in Pan

Ingredients:
Lemon Juice Few Drops
Sugar 1 Pinch
Process:
Take mentioned quantity of Lemon Juice and Sugar and Add these to the rice while cooking.

Remove Unpleasant Smell from Mouth

Many people around us avoid closing people and avoiding sitting together due to unpleasant smell in their mouth. In parties and functions they never feel confident and avoid making public relations. There are many medicines and mouth fresheners to remove this smell but for a temporary period of time.

Aniseed is very useful to remove unpleasant smell from mouth. It is also very useful to avoid abdomen burning, in fever, for eyes and most important, it is best for digest system. Here we are focusing to remove unpleasant smell from mouth. So take aniseed three to four times and chew well. Try to include this practice in your daily routine. In a week you will feel the difference.

Carrot is a natural gift for people in winter. Clean carrots with fresh water and eat on regular basis. Remember that you don’t have to cook carrots, just take it in the natural state.

Add lemon juice in the rose water and gargle with it for at least three to four times.

All above tips mentioned in this article are very easy and don’t require more than five minutes each also you don’t have to spend a lot of money. So don’t waste your time to think, people who don’t have such problem can also use the above mentioned tips for pleasant fragrance in their mouth.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

4 Tips to Keep the Kitchen Safe While Cooking

Did you know one of the leading causes of home fires and injuries occur in the kitchen? The consequences of having a fire in the home can be devastating. Not only for the financial repercussions, but for something far more serious - personal injury or even death.

Spending time in the kitchen should be fun and relaxing. However, it is also a time of making responsible choices to help keep it a safe place for you and your family.

1: The first tip is to be alert and awake when operating kitchen appliances.
From cooking a complex recipe for stuffed duck, to making an espresso on a stovetop using an Italian espresso maker our attention is always required. This may seem like a common sense statement, but even drinking moderate amounts of alcohol, can alter one's judgment while using kitchen equipment. Simple routine tasks can be easily overlooked, such as turning off all burners when finished using the stove.
If you are tired when cooking, put on some music or open some windows to help stay alert. If you have to walk away from the kitchen while your dinner is in the oven, make sure to set a timer. This will help in case you become distracted with a phone call, TV show or accidentally fall asleep on the couch.

2: The second tip is to keep flammable objects away from any heat sources such as ovens or stoves.
Such objects could be the evening newspaper, note pads, paper towels, pot holders, or even wooden spoons.
Be mindful of open windows and fans since these can easily blow light objects towards the hot stove.

3: The third tip is dealing with the issue of children in the kitchen.
Children in their excitement can easily run through the kitchen and knock a hot pan off the stove or a hot dish off the table. Very young children such as toddlers are always exploring and grabbing whatever they can find - this includes frying pans.

Never let the handles of your cookware on the stove be within reach of any child. Such objects can cause serious burns and head trauma.


Make sure to keep your kitchen a kid free zone at all times. To help children understand the seriousness of this issue, have them help you determine a good kid free zone area. Then together, mark the zone with tape on the floor. Doing this simple exercise together will help them accept the new rule, rather than resist it.

4: The fourth tip is to never carry a grease fire from a pan to the kitchen sink.
Often in our minds, we think water is what will put out a fire.
However, in this case, put on a mitt to protect your hand and put the lid on the pan to prevent any further oxygen from feeding the fire.

Turn the stove off and leave the pan alone until it has completely cooled.

As your children become older and begin to help in the kitchen, practice these safety rules by acting them out in kitchen fire drills. This way should a fire occur, you and your children will know what to do.

Whether preparing breakfast, lunch, dinner or a late night dessert, these four tips are important to keeping your kitchen a safe and hazard free area.

If Italian cuisine is your thing then you may find the following Quick and easy Italian recipes of interest as well as Italian kitchenware such as large pasta bowls and other items.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

100 Kitchen Tips



  1. If gum dries up, add a little vinegar and stir.
  2. Store nail polish bottles in the refrigerator to prevent the polish from drying up.
  3. To get a dry sketch pen working again, pour three or four drops of hot water into the sponge tube inside and wait a while.
  4. If grilled doors or windows start getting rusty, scrape off the rust carefully and paint the area immediately. You can also use a metal primer instead of paint.
  5. To remove mud stains from clothes, soak and wash them in water collected after boiling potatoes.
  1. To make Aluminium vessels look good again, rub them with emery paper. Mere washing can't remove the black stains.
  2. If an onion is too sharp in taste, wash, drain and toss into some beaten curd. Add a dash of salt and pepper, it becomes a tasty raitha.
  3. To bake potatoes crisp and brown, soak the peeled potatoes in hot water for a while, pat dry and pierce all over with a fork before placing them in hot fat along with the roast.
  4. If fish is to be stored for more than a day, clean it, rub with salt, turmeric and if liked, a dash of vinegar before freezing.
  5. If dried herbs are used in a recipe, crush them first to release their fragrance.
  6. Save the peel of apples, cucumbers and peaches. Grind them and add to the ingredients of a green chutney (coriander leaves, green chillies, ginger, coconut, salt and sugar). It makes a tasty and nutritious chutney and when mixed with curd makes an unusual raita.
  7. Never scrape burnt leftovers from casseroles. Soak in a weak solution of vinegar, salt and soapy warm water for an hour or so. The stuck particles will come off very easily, without scratching the dish.
  8. Always soak cauliflower in warm salted water for some time to get rid of the tiny insects sometimes present deep inside the florets and not visible to the eye.
  9. Adding a little dry rice to sugar while grinding it, will keep it from becoming lumpy.
  10. Easiest way to chop raisins. Sprinkle some flour over them so they don't stick. Cut with a small kitchen scissors as required.
  11. Add a few pinches of turmeric, a small spoon of ghee, to dal before pressure cooking. This will impart a better flavour to the dal.
  12. Rub the soles of new footwear (leather soled) with some sandpaper to keep from slipping on polished floors.
  13. Cut a small piece of the base of flower stalks each day, and add a capsule contents of B complex to the vase water, to make cut flowers last longer.
  14. Use a knife dipped in hot water to smoothen the icing surface and sides. Repeat the action till the whole icing is smoothened.
  15. Use varied coloured doughs like green one above, to make shapes (leaves, cherries, braids, etc.) and deep fry on low till done. Decorate a variety of festive dishes like baked casseroles, au gratins, pulaos, etc. with them. Store in airtight containers for 2-3 days.
  16. Add a pinch of soda bicarb to the water to boil peas etc. faster and also to retain their bright green colour.
  17. Use a mixture of lemon juice and glycerine in equal parts to dip nails which are brittle and bruised to make them stronger and shinier. Repeat process regularly if the case is extreme.
  18. Store chopped vegetables in airtight plastic containers in the fridge to keep from browning and drying up.
  19. Add some salt or vinegar drops while washing vegetables and greens to make them clean and germ free, eg. cauliflower, spinach, etc.
  20. If curds have become too sour to eat as is, tie as above for 3-4 hours, add milk and use in raitas, curd rice, etc.
  21. Blow out dirt from devices of electronic gadgets, carved furniture, etc., by blowing air in the following way. Use an empty soft-plastic sauce dispenser bottle with a nozzle. Press so that the air blowing out will blow the dirt away.
  22. Place some soda bicarb open in a small shallow dish in the fridge. This will disallow odours of one dish mixing into another. Eg. milk and guavas.
  23. Place a folded cloth under any vessel which you have to whip in. You will have a better grip of the vessel since it will not slip over the worksurface. This holds good while mixing cake batter, icings, whipping, etc.
  24. Rest assured that honey can never be adulterated. If warm water is added, it will ferment. If any type of sugar syrup is added it will solidify. Also, the older the better.
  25. Fix candle in a container. Fill half the container with water before lighting the candle. This way, the candle lasts longer and the overflowed wax is easier to remove from the water. The container becomes easy to clean too.
  26. Add contents of a capsule of b complex to the water in your vase to make the flowers last longer.
  27. To freeze stock of your choice, eg., tomato, mixed vegetable as above, spinach, etc., prepare thick stock and cool to room temperature. Transfer to icecube trays and freeze to make solid cubes. Remove cubes and transfer to a freezable polythene bag, with an airseal. Remove excess air, seal tight. Store in freezer and use cubes as required.
  28. Make a concentrated solution of bleaching powder and water. Apply on stained surfaces and wash basins in a bathroom (tiles, etc., not metallic), leave overnight. Wash clean with water next day. Will keep the bathroom sparkling.
  29. Clean unreachable places and crevices in ovens and waffle trays etc. by using old tootbrushes dipped in soda bi carb. Then wipe clean with a soft cloth.
  30. Place tomatoes in hot water for 5-7 minutes, before using for easier peeling and better taste in any recipe where tomatoes are required to be cooked.
  31. If pizza sauce (or gravies) has become very thin, thicken by adding 2 slices of dayold bread, run in a mixie to make very fine crumbs. Using too much cornflour may make the sauce taste pasty.
  32. If curd has turned sour, tie in cloth for a while (1/2-1 hour) remove in bowl add enough milk to get required consistency, beat well. The sourness will be gone. Use in raithas, rices, etc.
  33. Rub mustard oil on palms and soles to bring warmth to a shivering body. Also use as massage oil for aching joints and muscles. However, the smell may be a bit repulsive, so add a few drops of perfume if desired.
  34. Add a pinch of turmeric powder to the oil before adding green vegetables. The vegetables will retain their greenness better even after cooking.
  35. Rub used lemon halves dipped in salt over greasy pans, and wipe clean with an old newspaper before washing. This will remove all the extra grease and make the washing easier. You may even rub some flour instead.
  36. When carrying many food packets while travelling, use either transparent polythene bags or put a name sticker on each foil pack etc. so that guessing, opening and searching is avoided. When food is used up, use these bags to collect your litter on the way.
  37. Crush chikki coarsely and use as nougat over cakes and icecreams. Use nuts of your choice.
  38. Blanch green leafy vegetables ( fenugreek, spinach, etc.) in boiling water for 2 minutes. Hold under cold running water, press out excess water, store in freezer for about 2 weeks without spoiling.
  39. Shake the vegetables loose in the plastic bag before thawing, to distribute the heat evenly.
  40. Use tissue papers for reheating fried snacks. Eg. samosa, vada, kachori, bhajji, etc. The paper will absorb the excess oil and moisture and keep the snack crisp. Reheat on high for 1-1 1/2 minute.
  41. Place a large bowl half full of water, microwave on high till it comes to a boil. Remove and clean oven with a moist cloth, to remove grime and grease. Clean then as usual with warm soapy water dipped cloth.
  42. Round or oval containers will spread heat more evenly in a microwave oven than square, rectangular or odd shaped ones.
  43. To get the best out of saffron: Warm saffron before crushing (you may use microwave: 10 secs on maxi.). Add 1 tsp. warm milk and stir well.
  44. Make a lovely potpourri by drying your favourite flowers, herbs and leaves between layers of paper napkins. Make sure not do burn them. This may not last as long as the ones made by the long traditional process.
  45. For apt usage of a microwave, compliment microwave cooking with traditional forms. Do the boiling, frying and seasoning part on a gas stove. While leaving the baking, sauteeing, cooking, melting, etc. to a microwave.
  46. Sometimes oil begins to foam on heating to deepfry and rises dangerously in the pan. To dissipate the foam add a marble sized ball of tamarind to the oil.
  47. To get rid of dandruff apply the following mixture of once or twice a week. Keep for 20-25 minutes before washing off with a mild soap or shampoo. Warm together, 1 tbsp. curds, 2 tsp. oil and 1 tsp. lemon juice.
  48. Soak burnt pans with a weak solution of domestic ammonia and water. After an hour rub with used lemon peels dipped in salt. Wash with soap for a clean, clean pan.
  49. If karanjias are used after too many days and feel stale, warm them for 1/2 to 1 minute in the microwave oven before serving. They will taste freshly fried.
  50. If you cannot get hold of diwali diyas (lamps), make your own by mould out of ordinary wheat flour dough, about a week ahead, dry well and paint.
  51. Don't throw away old toothbrushes. They form excellent scrubbers for so many places, eg. crevices in tiles, inlaid furniture, grooves in vessels, sieves, meshes, waffle irons, etc.
  52. Do not throw away unused chillies in vinegar while making a chinese course. Blend, bottle and use to spice up soups, rices, etc.
  53. Wipe mirrors first with pieces of moist newspaper and then with dry newpaper toget a clean, spotless mirror.
  54. Keep is whole cardamom or clove in the mouth to subside the sensation of vomitting.
  55. To remove cellotape stuck on walls, etc ( eg. for posters) without removing the paint, hold a warm iron over it for a few seconds, then peel off slowly.
  56. Put a handful of salt in the rinsing water for glass and crockery for a cleaner, crystal clear wash.
  57. Add a cupful of soaked poha to 5 cupfuls of rice soaked for idlis and grind with the rice for softer and lighter idlis.
  58. Make bread crumbs from toasts and store some in the fridge. They come in very hand for thickening gravies, especially if you've landed up making them extra watery!!!
  59. Always keep some readymade gingerpaste and garlic paste in the freezer. Comes in handy and enhances the flavor of most dishes in a jiffy.
  60. This may sound funny, but when cutting lots of onions, to avoid burning of the eyes, if you have swimming goggles then wear them and cut. This will prevent the eyes from watering. Subbu Balakrishnan
  61. Keep an extra potato or two handy. Boil in their jacket, drain dry and keep in the fridge. Use in a jiffy when you to tired to make tedious things. Either season with salt and pepper or put slices in bread sandwiches or fry and season or make a quick stir fried vegetable. The potatoes will stay good in a refrigerator for 2-3 days.
  62. When cutting hard vegetables like potatoes, beetroots or carrots, put them in the microwave oven before cutting them into slices. They will be much easier to cut. Subbu Balakrishnan
  63. Using earthen or stone ware for setting curds will result in firmer and better quality curd. Since they are porous they absorb the excess moisture..
  64. Just dip a small clean rag in a teeny bit of any oil (edible too) and rub on creaky hinges. You will experience quiet doors and windows in a jiffy!!!
  65. To break open the coconuts easily (the brown ones..), place them in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes. This would seperate the shell easily. Ami B Shah
  66. Rinse white clothes in water to which some alum powder is added, for better whites.
  67. To allow free flow of sauce from a sauce bottle to a pourer, insert a drinking straw half way, into the bottle and hold it there lightly with one hand while pouring with the other.
  68. Always add a tbsp. of oil to plenty of water while boiling pasta of any kind. It will keep them from sticking to each other.
  69. Line the bottoms of your kitchen cabinet shelves with old newspapers. Instead of tedious cleaning, just dicard and replace with fresh ones. Cheap and quick.
  70. Pour a capful of liquid bleach in a stained commode. Keep for 1/2 hour. Add soap powder and brush, for a sparkle.
  71. If gloves are inconvenient wear 2 old washed socks while doing chores which are rude on the hands, like carwashing, dish-washing, scrubbing, etc.
  72. Save old toothbrushes for quick cleaning of those corner and grooves which are difficult to clean with larger brushes. eg. bottles, bathroom corners, tile joints, engraving on metals, etc.
  73. Place a tsp. of soda bicarb in a corner of the fridge in a small crucible. This will keep smells of foods in the fridge from permeating each other.
  74. Use the water drained from curdle milk to knead chappati dough. They will turn out softer and whiter.
  75. Soak jewellery (eg. silver, copper, gold) in the water drained from curdled milk for 15 mins. wash them with soap afterwards. Get back the sparkle in them to look new.
  76. Apply tamarind paste and salt for greasy, or copped bottomed or brass vessels, and wash. They come out much cleaner, and more easily.
  77. Dissolve a 1/2 tsp. of turmeric powder in hald a cup of hot sweetened milk and drink for relief from cough and cold. Repeat morning and night for a week.
  78. Make a decoction of tea leaves, mint, a bit of ginger. Mix in a dash of honey, sip hot to give relief from chest congestion.
  79. Rub the point of a bee-bite with soft mud and salt made into a paste. The swelling will subside soon, as also the poison will not spread further.
  80. A tsp. each of ginger juice and honey to be warmed and taken just before sleeping, to bring relief from severe cough. Repeat every night for a week.
  81. Sprinkle a mixture of powdered cardomom and rock sugar (misri) over the tongue, gums and inner cheeks to get relief from mouth sores and ulcers. Repeat 3-4 times a day.
  82. A clove and a cardamom kept in the mouth while travelling, brings relief to those suffering from motion sickness.
  83. A drop or two of eucalyptus oil add to water for steam inhalation gives excellent relief in common colds.
  84. Use the whey (water) from tied curds to make softer chappati, paratha and naans. Use this water instead of plain water to knead the dough.
  85. Always use a clean pair of kitchen scissors to trim edges of bread. Much neater and less messy edges as compared to those trimmed with a knife.
  86. Use a large semiboiled potato to make a quick flower arrangement if a flower holder is not available. Push sturdy stalks of flowers into the potato at the required angles. Do not keep for more than 2 days. Immerse in water to which an aspirin is added.
  87. Use the water strained from the curdled milk (paneer) to soak your dull silvers for 15-20 minutes. Wash well. They will shine like new.
  88. Use clean skins of boiled potatoes to place as a soothing pack over eyes to refresh and reduce their puffiness.
  89. If there is a lot of leftover paneer crumbs, dry in a warm oven. Fry till crisp and store in the fridge. Soften in boiling water, drain and add to thicken gravies of any vegetables and curries.
  90. Make tomato puree in bulk. Transfer to ice cube trays and freeze. Put the frozen cubes in a thick polythene bag. Store in the freezer and use reddy puree cubes as required. Will keep for over 3 weeks in the freezer.
  91. Give a nice big bright star on your kiddies' room calender every day that he cleans out his lunch box fully!! See his enthusiasm soar.
  92. Use minimal of wrappers, foils, etc. which they may litter or make messy if wrongly handled.
  93. Replace sweets and candy with a few dry fruits like almonds, etc. for after lunch munching. So much healthier.
  94. Try substituting kids' lunch bag with lemonade instead of water once or twice a week. They'll be thrilled.
  95. Rub a piece of lime (used) inside the lunch box to get rid of strong odours (like garlic) before rinsing off.